The Palestinian Authority has no intention of disarming armed Palestinian groups,
the head of the PA Preventive Security Service in the Gaza Strip, Rashid Abu
Shabak, announced on June 29. "Those who think that the road map plan means
disarming Palestinian factions are mistaken," he said.

Speaking to Palestinian journalists in Gaza City, Abu Shabak, who is wanted
by Israel for his role in terror attacks against Jewish settlers and soldiers
in the Gaza Strip, said PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas assured representatives
of all the factions he met with over the past few weeks that they would be allowed
to keep their weapons. "Today all the factions are convinced that a cease-fire
agreement is not designed to confiscate their weapons," he added.

Abu Shabak, who took over his job from Muhammad Dahlan, the current PA minister
of state for security affairs, said a cease-fire agreement is aimed at "forcing
Israel to carry out its obligations regarding putting an end to the assassinations
and incursions, as well as the release of all the Palestinian prisoners."

Abu Shabak said the PA would do its utmost to prevent inter-Palestinian fighting,
warning that his forces would not allow any faction to drag the Palestinians
into a civil war.

He also rebuffed allegations that his force was collaborating with Israel in
thwarting terrorist attacks, claiming that the PSS was also being targeted by
Israel. He said Israel's military "aggression" against the Palestinians
hasn't stopped for a moment. "Each time we are close to an agreement with
the other factions, Israel tries to foil such an agreement by stepping up its
attacks or assassinating resistance fighters," he said. "This has
been the case ever since we returned to the homeland and the PA was established."

Abu Shabak also claimed that Israel doesn't want the Palestinian to reach any
agreement because that would mean it must fulfill its obligations as defined
by the road map.

Asked about rumors in the Gaza Strip that the PSS has already begun arresting
members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Abu Shabak replied: "I challenge all
those who are talking about this to provide us with the name of one Palestinian
fighter who is being held by the Palestinian security forces. All the Palestinians,
including the security forces and the resistance fighters, are prisoners in
the occupation jails."

Abu Shabak vowed to continue chasing Palestinians suspected of collaboration
with Israel, saying his men managed to arrest several people who allegedly helped
in the assassination of some Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists. He noted that
some of the suspects have been executed and others have been sentenced to death.

"We are waiting for President Yasser Arafat to approve the death sentences
so that we can execute them," he added.